Meet Danielle Heuseveldt, RD, NBC-HWC, a rock star dietitian. I have been personally trained by Danielle and she is definitely a dietitian to learn from. Her experience at Crossover Health has provided her with incredible knowledge beyond the regular dietetic scope of practice which includes health coaching, marketing, training, technology and development, program management, and program development. Wow! Talk about a lot of great skills to have. Read on to learn about her amazing career path. - Sarah

What attracted you to the field of nutrition and dietetics?
I started my college career as a theater major. Honestly, nutrition and dietetics was never even on my radar of career choices until I developed some significant disordered eating patterns. I knew I couldn’t stay in the theater program, as it wasn’t healthy for me but I wasn’t sure where I should go or what I should do. I was encouraged to switch to a topic I had become very “knowledgeable” about...nutrition (for better or worse, my disordered eating patterns made me obsessed with nutrition). It ended up being the best thing for me, between getting an actual fact-based nutrition education and seeing a therapist, I was able to heal my relationship with food and I found a career I really love.

Your Job Title?
Health Coach Program Manager

Company you are with now?
Crossover Health and RESULTS Professional Food Coaching (private practice)

Website:
www.crossoverhealth.com

Social Media:
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-heuseveldt-rd-nbc-hwc-53119969

Describe a typical (or not so typical) day-in-the-work-life for you?
Currently, my day is a mix of meetings and project work time. Rather than a run down of my typical day, I’ll share some of what I work on and who I work with.

Joining a company in its start up phase and staying with that company for almost 8 years has given me a unique position and perspective. I am knowledgeable about many areas of our business and I work with all departments within Crossover on a regular basis:

Our medical group - Not only do I help set the standard for the coaching program but I work with other program managers and providers (mental health, physical medicine, acupuncture, optometry, nursing, primary care and hosts) as well as our medical group leadership to create interdisciplinary pathways and programs that drive toward our company mission and goals.

Tech and Dev Operations - I have the opportunity to work with our technology and development operations group on a regular basis to shape the creation of new tech tools and how they can and will be used for our coaching program.

Marketing - I work closely with marketing to make sure content created within the health coaching program is on brand and also assist marketing to make sure that any content for our social media aligns with our coaching/lifestyle philosophy.

Clinical Operations - A relatively new aspect to my role at Crossover is part of the clinical operations implementation team launching new clinics and onboarding all our new providers. I LOVE this part of my job. I enjoy onboarding and being one of the first faces our new hires see. It’s an honor to welcome our new providers and teach them our technology, philosophy and our values.

I also do some independent coaching work with RESULTS Professional Food Coaching, a private practice. I enjoy the opportunity to do private coaching for people looking to improve their health and wellbeing.

How did you get your current job in dietetics?
I started my career much like a lot of dietitians, working in acute care in a small community hospital. While I learned a lot from that experience, I knew I wanted to work in preventative care. Fortunately, I found a role with a company that provided telephonic health coaching to corporate clients and their employees. This was my first experience with motivational interviewing and coaching and I WAS HOOKED! It was a game changer in my practice and I couldn’t get enough (I would later become a board certified health coach)! This telephonic role was in Pennsylvania but our corporate client was opening up a large interdisciplinary employer based health center in San Jose, CA and the company wanted one of the telephonic coaches (an RD) to relocate and take the position. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified, but I took the leap and moved across the country not knowing a soul to take that role. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. A few years later, Crossover (who at that time was opening their third health center) was looking for their first health coach. I loved Crossover’s mission to revolutionize healthcare and knew I could bring my experience with coaching to the company and build something great! As the company grew, we started adding more health centers and more coaches and while I was still primarily coaching members, my role as program manager started to develop. Since Crossover was small at the time and health coaching was not a service they had offered previously, I played a large role in establishing standards, policies, procedures, training, performance metrics and programming as well as mentoring our new coaches. By 2017, I was made program manager formally and continue to shape and grow our health coaching program.

What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way?
I was born able to relate to others. I have an empathetic, compassionate and curious personality. I’m also a born entertainer and often use entertainment and humor to communicate, to educate and to coach. People generally feel comfortable around me.

One of the biggest skills I’ve learned along the way is waiting and patience. I’ve learned that just because a response or decision is requested immediately, doesn’t mean I can’t pause, reflect before making a decision or giving an answer. Conversely, I’ve also learned to fight my desire for perfection and understand the value and lessons of failure.

What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you?
You are not always going to know what you’re doing 100% of the time, and here’s the big secret—no one will tell you that...no one does! Have confidence in yourself, find your esteemed counsel to bounce ideas off of, and stop comparing yourself to others.

If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what would it be?
Fabric. I am a passionate "sewist" and make all of my own clothes. I would happily be paid in fabric and sewing supplies!